Founded
in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was re-launched on March 18, 1972 as
Music Week. On January 17, 1981, the title was again changed owing
to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music &
Video Week. The rival title Record Business, founded in 1978 by
Brian Mulligan and Norman Garrod, was absorbed into Music Week in February
1983. Later that year, the offshoot magazine Video Week was
launched and the title of the parent publication reverted again back to Music
Week.

Since
April 1991, Music Week has incorporated Record Mirror:
initially as a 4/8-page chart supplement, later as a specialist dance
supplement featuring articles, reviews and charts.

In
the 1990s several magazines and newsletters become part of the Music Week
family: Music Business International (MBI), Promo, MIRO Future Hits, Tours
Report, Fono, Green Sheet, Charts+Plus (published from May 1991 to Nov.
1994), and Hit Music (Sept. 1992 to May 2001). By May 2001 all newsletters
(except Promo) cease publication.

In 2003 Music Week launched a revitalised online presence Musicweek.com,
which offers content including daily news, features, record release
listings and all the UK sales, airplay and club charts.

In
early 2006 a separate free-to-access site was launched for the Music
Week Directory giving users access to around 10,000 contacts from the
across the UK music industry.

In
mid-2007 the magazine was given a facelift and redesigned by London-based
design company This Is Real Art.

Circulation

Charts

Music
Week currently features these British
charts: Top 75 Singles, Top 75 Artist Albums, Top 20 Downloads, Top 20
Ringtones, Top 20 Compilations, Top 50 Radio Airplay, Top 40 TV airplay,
and a number of format and genre charts (Music DVD, Rock, Indie, etc.) It
also includes extensive background on major chart hits in the form of
sales and airplay analysis from chart expert Alan Jones